Parliament Opposes 60 Billion Toman Budget for Air Pollution Control

The Iranian parliament opposed the allocation of 60 billion tomans from air pollution fees for environmental pollution control and training of non-governmental organizations for environmental protection. According to Mehr News Agency, in the open session on Wednesday, February 29, 33 representatives voted in favor of this proposal, while 134 representatives voted against it. The news agency did not mention the number of representatives present at the session. The Iranian government had proposed in the 2015 budget bill that 60 billion tomans from revenues generated from pollution fees be allocated to environmental pollution control operations, training and empowering local communities and NGOs for participation in environmental preservation, restoration of wetlands and rivers, and strengthening environmental monitoring. The parliament's joint commission had removed this section from the 2015 budget bill. Mohammad Mahdi Mofatteh, the spokesperson for the joint commission, stated on Wednesday that revenues from pollution should be deposited into municipal accounts within cities and into village accounts outside cities, while the government intended to take this money from municipalities and allocate it to the environmental organization. In the session, Mohammad Reza Tabesh, a representative from Ardakan, suggested that instead of the joint commission's resolution regarding this section of the budget, the government's proposed bill should be approved, adding, 'Let’s not make people think the parliament is acting politically.' Masoumeh Ebtekar, head of the Environmental Protection Organization, had protested the removal of this budget line on Tuesday, February 28. In response, Elias Naderan, a representative from Tehran, opposed Mr. Tabesh's proposal and reacted to Ms. Ebtekar's remarks, saying, 'In 2014, the southern provinces faced problems due to the negligence of environmental officials, and Ms. Ebtekar claims that this problem arose because the environmental budget was reduced in 2015.' He added, 'The 60 billion tomans from this source is supposed to be spent on environmental NGOs and has nothing to do with solving environmental problems.' Elias Naderan emphasized, 'If Ms. Ebtekar had become the political deputy of the president, it would have been better; the environment needs a real official to solve people's problems.' In recent days, Ms. Ebtekar's failure to travel to Khuzestan province has led to criticism from parliament representatives regarding her performance. Fars News Agency also reported on Saturday, February 25, that several members of parliament had prepared a plan to convert the Environmental Organization into a ministry. On the same day, Ms. Ebtekar responded to the criticisms from parliament representatives, stating, 'The representatives who are now protesting the air quality and dust storms have previously pursued water transfer, dam construction, and agricultural development programs for their province without considering the limited water resources in the country.' Hamid Rasai, a representative from Tehran, also criticized Ms. Ebtekar for not traveling to Khuzestan during the early days of the air pollution crisis in the province, saying, 'From such behavior by Ms. Ebtekar, it appears that her initiatives are more in political activities and have no connection with the core of the unrest.' Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic and his close associates refer to the protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election as 'sedition' and call Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi 'leaders of the sedition.' In this context, Masoumeh Ebtekar's criticism of the environmental actions of Ahmadinejad's government is noted, stating, 'We have not received a report regarding the pollution of dust storms related to uranium.' Citizens of Ahvaz have protested regarding the air pollution in their city, and the Oil Ministry has 'only fulfilled four percent' of its commitments to stabilize dust storms in Khuzestan.